MPCA NEWS

The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) recently announced $1.34 million to 44 health innovation projects to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of health services in Michigan. MPCA in collaboration with the Michigan Community Health Worker Alliance is receiving $35,000 to develop and implement a business plan for establishing a Community Health Worker (CHW) certification in our state, as well as the financing and long-term planning for incorporating these front-line workers into the health care team. Click here to read MPCA CEO Kim Sibilsky's statement. Click here for a list of all 44 award winners, which also includes Health Delivery, Inc.

MPCA Hosting Retirement Celebration Honoring Doug Paterson January 15

To celebrate Doug Paterson's tremendous service and contributions to MPCA and Michigan Health Centers, MPCA is hosting an open house in honor of his retirement on January 15, 3-5:30 pm at our office in Lansing. You are cordially invited to the open house, and to send cards or electronic congratulations in advance. Cards may be mailed to MPCA, 7215 Westshire Drive, Lansing, MI 48917. Electronic congratulations may be emailed to Erin Rogers at erogers@mpca.net. Read more

MPCA Hiring for Three Positions for Linking Clinical Care with Community Supports Initiative

MPCA is hiring for the positions of Director and two Program Specialists of the Linking Clinical Care with Community Supports initiative (LC3S). This initiative will expand the work of Michigan Health Centers in implementing interdisciplinary team-based approaches through the incorporation of Community Health Workers as members of the primary care team. Read more

Please note that you must be logged in to MPCA’s online community when registering for MPCA-hosted events to receive a discounted rate if your organization is an MPCA member. If you are subscribed to the MPCA eUpdate, you have a profile in MPCA's online community. If you have forgotten your password, please use the "forgot password" link under the sign-in box to reset your password. If you need further assistance, please contact info@mpca.net.

MPCA posts job openings at Michigan Health Center Program grantees, Michigan FQHC Look-Alikes, and MPCA active member organizations. To submit a job opening for posting in the online MPCA Career Center and in the MPCA eUpdate, email the job title, a brief overview, a bulleted list of qualifications, and instructions on how to apply to info@mpca.net with Job Posting in the subject field.

2015 State of the State & State of the Union Addresses January 20

Governor Rick Snyder will deliver his 2015 State of the State Address to the Michigan Legislature on January 20, 2015, at 7 pm ET. MPCA is once again co-sponsoring live coverage of the address to be televised on public television statewide by WKAR. That same evening, President Obama will deliver the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress beginning at 9 pm ET.

Congress Resumes January 6, Michigan Legislature Resumes January 14

The first session of the 114th Congress begins on January 6, and the 98th Michigan Legislature begins January 14 after a swearing in ceremony at 12 pm. Click here for the 2015 calendar of the U.S. House. Click here for the 2015 calendar of the U.S. Senate. Click here for the 2015 calendar of the Michigan House. Click here for the 2015 calendar of the Michigan Senate. We encourage you to use these calendars to schedule meetings with your elected officials this year and to invite them to visit your Health Center. Not sure who represents you in Congress or the Michigan Legislature? Beginning January 12, click here and type in your Zip code to learn about your Congressional representatives and State legislators. (Please note that the elected official look up tool is currently being updated based on the November 2014 election results.)

The Senate Fiscal Agency recently released a new economic forecast and set of revenue projections showing a current year general fund (GF/GP) budget deficit that would need to be resolved during Fiscal Year 2014/15. The report was published December 19, 2014, in advance of the Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference that will take place January 16.

House Did Not Vote on APRN Bill At Close of Lame Duck

Despite efforts to move legislation that establishes criteria for advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) designation in Michigan, Senate Bill 2 did not emerge on the House floor for a vote before the 97th Michigan Legislature closed on December 19. However, as reported by MIRS, a successor bill is likely to be introduced this session, with incoming chair of the Senate Health Policy, Senator-elect Mike Shirkey (R-Clark Lake), in support of the legislation. You may recall that the Michigan Senate passed SB 2 in November 2013, but the bill stalled in the House Health Policy Committee.

MPCA is actively monitoring House Bill 4576, which passed both the Michigan House and Senate in late December and is currently awaiting the Governor’s signature. HB 4576 would establish a state-level certification for Navigators and Certified Application Counselors who assist Michigan residents with coverage in the Health Insurance Marketplace. MPCA staff will be working collaboratively with stakeholders to communicate details regarding implementation of the bill as they become available. Please stay tuned to future issues of the MPCA eUpdate for more information.

The Michigan Department of Community Health recently announced that $300,000 will be distributed among 30 birthing hospitals in Michigan to help connect families to evidence-based home visiting programs including the Maternal Infant Health Program and the Children's Special Health Care Services. Read more

MDCH Director Lyon Named DHS Interim Director

Upon the retirement of Michigan Department of Human Services (DHS) Director Maura Corrigan at the end of 2014, Governor Rick Snyder announced that Nick Lyon, Director of the Michigan Department of Community Health, will also serve as DHS Director on an interim basis. Read more

On January 1, 2015, the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) released a standard consent form for the sharing of health information specific to behavioral health and substance use treatment information in accordance with Public Act 129 of 2014. While providers are not required to use this new standard form (DCH-3927), they are required to accept it. To assist in educating both the health care community and Michigan residents, MDCH has created a number of guidance documents, which are available online.

Four Michigan Colleges Receive Grant Funding from National Institutes of Health

The National Institutes of Health has granted $21.2 million to the University of Detroit Mercy, Wayne State University, Marygrove College, and Wayne Community College District to implement academic programs that attract students from underrepresented and economically disadvantaged backgrounds to careers in biomedical sciences. Read more

The MPCA eUpdate is a weekly e-newsletter intended to keep Michigan Health Centers, MPCA members, partners, and friends updated on the latest happenings impacting Health Centers and providing care to the underserved. Please feel free to forward this to interested individuals, or they may request to be added to the distribution list. Information from outside organizations does not represent an endorsement by MPCA, and opinions expressed by outside authors are not necessarily official positions or policies of MPCA. This project is 80% supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the $1,186,260.00 grant number U58CS06824 titled “State and Regional Primary Care Associations”. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by, HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.